Metro Voice News Celebrating Faith, Family & Community
Two iconic Kansas City brands – Hallmark and the Chiefs – are teaming up for a new Christmas movie. “Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story” is set to air during the 15th annual Countdown to Christmas event this year.
Tyler Hynes, Hunter King and Ed Begley Jr. will star in the original movie, with production kicking off next month. It will film entirely in Kansas City, becoming the first Hallmark production to film at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.
“With Hallmark and the Kansas City Chiefs both homegrown, rooted in values, tradition and community, there is a special alchemy between these two iconic organizations,” said Darren Abbott, chief brand officer for Hallmark. “By blending the warmth of Hallmark storytelling with the excitement of professional football, we are thrilled to give audiences a front-row seat to this community’s spirit, rich traditions and passionate fans that define Kansas City, all wrapped up in the comforting and uplifting Hallmark way.”
This marks the second time the channel has teamed up with the NFL team; they celebrated the playoff season with a campaign titled “‘Tis the Preseason.”
“We are honored to partner with Hallmark on a project as unique as this,” Chiefs President Mark Donovan said. “As a club, we pride ourselves on exploring new ways to grow our brand, as well as connect with new audiences. This partnership unites two passionate fanbases and gives us an opportunity to show Chiefs Kingdom’s energy and tradition on one of the most-watched channels during the holiday season.”
Here is the film’s official logline: “Alana Higman (King) is sure that her family’s lifelong history as Kansas City Chiefs superfans makes them a frontrunner to win the team’s ‘Fan of the Year’ contest. Derrick (Hynes), director of fan engagement, is tasked with evaluating how Alana and her family stack up against the other two finalists. As the pair spends time together, it’s clear there’s a spark between them but when her grandfather’s (Begley Jr.) vintage Chiefs, good-luck winter hat goes missing, Alana begins to doubt everything she believed about fate, destiny and even questions her future with Derrick — unless, that is, a little Christmas magic can throw a Hail Mary.”
–Dwight Widaman
